FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE
COR 100 – Fall 2007
Course Objectives:
The course is designed to assist new students in dealing with the inevitable changes and rapid growth they will experience in their transition to college, and to help them develop the personal and academic skills necessary for success in college. (Lyon College Catalog 2007-2008, p. 10)
Through a synergistic relationship with Spragins House, COR 100 seeks to provide a clear and relevant framework on which students may begin their transition to the academic and social challenges of a liberal arts college.
Learning Outcomes:
COR 100 seeks to reinforce the need for students to continue to develop their spirits, minds, and bodies through the introduction of skills that reinforce personal responsibility, accountability, service, and integrity within the multiplicity of social and academic settings at the college level and beyond. Additionally, COR 100 seeks to develop an interest within students to explore cultural activities that may lie outside the area of their primary interest.
Texts:
Linda O’Brien, How to get Good Grades in College, 3rd ed. Woodburn Press, 2000.
Andrea H. Budy, The Hickeys on Sally Palermo’s Neck, Words from the Woods, 2000.
Course Assignments:
Service Day: Service is a prominent component of the Lyon College mission. Therefore, ALL students enrolled in COR 100 must participate in Service Day 2007 on specific service projects assigned to each mentor group. Freshman athletes who will be absent due to an away game must:
a) Arrange for an independent service project (time, location, and activity) through Campus Ministries.
b) Inform their faculty/staff advisor of the arrangements BEFORE Wednesday, September 26, 2007.
Any student who fails to comply with the Service Day component will receive a final grade reduction of two letter grade.
Information Technology: All students registered in COR 100 must attend an orientation to the Information Technology resources of Lyon College. Appropriate IT staff will conduct this orientation. In addition to the orientation session, students must complete the following
Exercises:
a) Schedule and attend a tour of the Mabee-Simpson Library during the month of September.
b) Complete a series of online information resources skill building exercises (self-paced )
The Schedule for the self paced exercises is below:
• Library/Information Technology Component (LIT): Chapter 1 - Introduction to Citrix Network <http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/Groups/cor100/usingcit/> Read chapter and do exercises. (Click on link to access chapter Webpage) Take exam by 12:00 Noon on Tuesday, Aug 28.. [You are welcome to work ahead on the LIT component and complete many or all of the assignments well before their due dates.]
• LIT: Chapter 2 - Introduction to First Class; <http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/Groups/cor100/usingfc/> Read chapter and do exercises. (Click on link above to access chapter webpage) Take exam by 12:00 Noon by Tuesday, Sept. 4.
• LIT: Chapter 3 - The Home Page and Library Services: <http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/cor100/fall2006/chapter3.htm> Read chapter and do exercises. Take exam by 12:00 Noon on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
• LIT: Chapter 4 – Basic Research Techniques: <http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/cor100/fall2006/chapter4.htm> Read chapter and do exercises. Take exam by 12:00 Noon on Tuesday, Sept. 18.
• LIT: Chapter 5 - Databases: http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/cor100/fall2006/chapter5.htm> Read chapter and do exercises. Take exam by 12:00 Noon on Tuesday, Sept. 25.
• LIT: Chapter 6 - The Internet: http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/cor100/fall2006/chapter6.htm> Read chapter and do exercises. Take exam by 12:00 Noon on Tuesday, Oct. 2.
• LIT: Chapter 7 - Avoiding Plagiarism and Learning How to Cite: <http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/cor100/Fall2006/chapter7.htm> Read chapter and do exercises. Take exam by 12:00 Noon on Tuesday, Oct 9.
• LIT: Final Exam. Review Chapters 1-7. Take final exam by 12:00 Noon, Tuesday, Oct. 16.
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Cultural Events: In keeping with the liberal arts mission of the college, all first-time students, as part of COR 100, must attend and report on six Lyon College sponsored cultural events. Of course, students may attend as many cultural events as they desire over and above the six required events. Typically, these events take place outside the standard academic day.
Therefore, students must manage their resources and take the responsibility to at attend the cultural events. Event reports must be submitted via FirstClass® within 48 hours of the event and include the following information:
Day and time of the event.
A cogent analysis of the event. What was the underlying theme of the event? Did the actor, artist, speaker, etc. accomplish his or her goal(s) for the event?
How did the event impact you?
Was the event worthwhile? Why or why not?
Of the six required cultural events, four must come from DIFFERENT areas as outlined below. The remaining two events may come from any of the nine areas. Students must select from the following areas:
An offering by the Convocations Committee.
An opening of an exhibition at Kresge Gallery.
A presentation by the Visiting Writer Series.
A play or other performance presented in the Holloway Theatre.
A foreign film NOT REQUIRED by a class in which the student is registered.
A concert by the College Chorale, band, flute choir, or orchestra. A video offered through Spragins House. A Lyon College sporting event. Student athletes must choose sporting events OTHER than the sports in which they play. A service activity sponsored by a Lyon College organization in addition to Service Day.
Except for item 9 above, Students may not receive credit for any event in which they are
direct participants.
Written Assignments: The written assignments for this course are described below. Unless otherwise stated, assignments must be typed in MSWord® and submitted to the instructor by the due date. Late assignments will be accepted ONLY according to the Attendance and Make-Up Policy section below. Assignments must be produced using correct grammar and appropriate punctuation. Quote conservatively, but reference liberally. Your instructor will give you specific instructions regarding form.
Short Essays: Two 500 word papers dealing with the common reading by Andrea Budy given to you at the summer orientation session.
1) Paper #1 is due at the first class meeting. Students attending the August orientation must submit this assignment by August 24, 2007.
2) Paper #2 is due on October 30, 2007.
Assignment Notebook: If used properly, this "academic planner" will help the student organize their whole semester and begin to understand concepts in time management.
Reading Quizzes: Reading quizzes are 10 minute quizzes given at the beginning of class that cover the assigned reading material as shown on page 5.
Weekly assignments: There are three class assignments as shown on page 6 of this syllabus.
Cultural Events: Described on page 2 of this syllabus.
The above assignments are designed to further the develop the learning outcomes of the intended learning outcomes of the course.
Late Assignments:
No late assignments will be accepted except under extraordinary circumstances such
as a severe illness (medical documentation required) or family emergency. Such
events are RARE in the life of the average student, but they do happen. Students must
contact their faculty mentor as soon as a conflict arises with class attendance or
assignment due date.
Athletes participating in away games and other students participating in various college
-sponsored events will be permitted to make up any missed assignments in accordance with Lyon College policy. Any student that will be participating in school-sponsored activities must submit a schedule of those activities to the instructor within the first week of class.
Participation:
Students are expected to actively participate in class discussion. Consequently, they are
expected to come to class prepared (completed reading and other assignments before class).
Attendance:
Attendance at the regular meetings of the course is required. Students missing class due
to a severe illness, personal emergency, or a college-sponsored event must confer with
their instructor before and after absences (a personal visit to the instructor’s office is preferable over email). Students are required to attend every class. A student who comes in late to class three times will receive a 25 % reduction in their attendance points. Students who come late to class more than three times will receive a one letter grade reduction in their final course grade.
A student who incurs one unexcused absence will be referred to the Dean of the Faculty as having missed the equivalent of one week of classes. Students who incur a total of three unexcused absences will be recommended to the Dean of the Faculty for dismissal from the course.
Grading Scales:
Written assignments (50pts each) 100pts Grading A 90% and above
Attendance/Participation (14pts/mtg) 98pts Scale: B 80 – 89%
LIT Component 100pts C 70 – 79%
Assignment Notebook 50pts D 60 – 69%
3 Reading quizzes (25pts each) 75pts F 59% and below
3 Other weekly assignments 45pts
6 Cultural events (20 pts each) 120pts
Total: 588pts NOTE: Final grades
will be rounded to the nearest percent.
Examine the tentative schedule on page 5 of this syllabus. Only two assignments are due after midterms!
Honor Code:
Academic integrity is a fundamental principle of a teaching and learning community.
Consequently, all graded work in this class must be conducted and pledged in accordance with the Lyon College Honor System. Students must provide correct citations for any material that is not their own in accordance with appropriate citation standards. Additionally, a student’s false claim of having attended a cultural event will be considered a violation of the Honor Code. Students are encouraged to speak with their mentors specifically, and instructors generally, concerning any questions about the Honor System and related expectations.
Learning Disabilities:
Students seeking reasonable accommodations should contact the Office of Academic Services at 698-4332.
Tentative Schedule for COR 100
Tuesday (11AM) Location* Topic Assigned Reading Assignments Due (at beginning of class) Lunch at Spragins (12PM) LIT Component
Chapter (exams must be taken by 11 AM on day of COR 100 meeting)
21-Aug Classroom Introduction & Assignment Notebook Andrea Budy Paper #1 (50pts) ? Group 1 (Baker)
28-Aug Brown Auditorium President's Convocation O'Brien, pp. 1 – 4 and page 6 of syllabus Submit Assignment Notebook to advisor (50 pts) on Aug 27** Group 2 (Bordeau) Intro to Citrix
4-Sep Classroom Managing your time & taking advantage of your learning style O'Brien, pp. 5 - 10 & pp.7-9 of syllabus Reading Quiz #1 (25pts) & submit Learning Styles Results (15pts) Group 3 (Castleberry) Intro to FirstClass
11-Sep Nucor Alcohol Policy & classroom etiquette O'Brien, pp. 5 – 19 and page 10 of syllabus Submit "study time" charts to advisor (10pts) Group 4 (Ellis) Home Page & Library
18-Sep Classroom 4th Week check-up O’Brien pp. 11 - 25 Reading Quiz #2 (25pts) Group 5 (Ponder) Basic Research Techniques
25-Sep Nucor Service Day Databases
2-Oct Groups 1-6 Nucor
Groups 7-12 Alphin
Honor Code Dr. Wray's Guidelines for Plagiarism (pp. 11 – 13 of syllabus) Group 6
(Wray)
The Internet
9-Oct Classroom (bring calculator) Calculating GPA & course grade p. 14 of syllabus Reading Quiz #3 (25 pts) Group 7
(Beck)
Plagiarism
16-Oct Classroom Liberal arts and the creative life Reread Andrea Budy essay Group 8 (Blevins) Review & Final Exam
23-Oct Classroom Midterms: Where do I go from here? p. 15 of syllabus Submit remediation plan for all deficient grades Group 9
(Hutton)
30-Oct Groups 1-6 Nucor Meet the author Group 10 (Grafton)
Groups 7-12 Classroom "Why do I have to take that class?" A discussion of the liberal arts p. 16 of syllabus Andrea Budy Paper #2 (500 word paper on how Budy has affected you) (50pts)
6-Nov Groups 7-12 Nucor Meet the author Group 11 (Wood)
Groups 1-6 Classroom "Why do I have to take that class?" A discussion of the liberal arts pp. 16 of syllabus Andrea Budy Paper #2 (500 word paper on how Budy has affected you) (50pts)
13-Nov Nucor Thanksgiving Convocation Group 12
(Yonts)
20-Nov Classroom Student survey O'Brien p. 29 Submit a piece of advice that you would give next year's entering class (20pts) Group 13
(Beckford)
27-Nov No class -- -- -- Group 14
(Plaag)
4-Dec No class -- -- -- Group 15
(______)
* Classroom = For the student’s specific classroom, please see the top of page 1 of this syllabus: Nucor = large lecture hall on ground floor of the Lyon Building: Alphin = Alphin Room in the Alphin Building.
** Note that students must submit their Assignment Notebooks to their faculty/staff advisors by NOON on Monday, August 27, 2007. Faculty mentors will return the notebooks to the students at the President’s Convocation on the following day.
Students attending the August orientation may submit this assignment by August 24, 2007.
Assignment Notebook
Due: Students must submit their Assignment Notebooks to their faculty/staff advisors by NOON on Monday, August 27, 2007.
Mentors will return the notebooks to their students at the President’s Convocation on the following day, August 28.
Instructions:
Read O’Brien, pp. 1 – 4
Fill out the Academic/Scholastic Planner 2007/2008:
On page 2, write your class schedule in the blank table provided.
Collect all the syllabi for your courses. Begin with any one syllabus and write all assignments, papers, exams, and/or performances in the appropriate day blocks of the calendar. Do this for all your syllabi. NOTE: It is a good idea to color code your subjects so that you can easily determine what assignment is due for any given course.
Estimate the time in days it will take you to adequately prepare/accomplish the work described in part (b). For instance, if you have an English paper due on September 20th dealing with an assigned essay, then do the following:
Estimate the time required to read and comprehend the essay: _____days
Estimate the time required to develop an appropriate outline: _____days
Estimate the time required to develop a first draft: _____days
Estimate the time required to compose the final draft: _____days
Add two extra days for computer problems: __2__days
Add lines (i) – (v) for total days to complete paper: _____days
Count back the number of days in your calendar you determined in part (c) required to prepare the paper and mark the appropriate date as the "Start date" for the paper.
Repeat this process for each and every assignment contained in your syllabi.
Learn Styles Inventory
Due September 4
Objective of the exercise: to help you discover how you can help yourself learn more effectively by understanding your individual learning style.
Source: http://ep.llnl.gov/msds/orgchem/Chem226/learning.html (Sept 2005)
Survey: Place a check on the appropriate line after each statement.
Often Sometimes Seldom
1. Can remember more about a subject
through the lecture method with
information, explanations and discussion. _____ _____ _____
2. Prefer information to be written on the
chalkboard, with the use of visual
aids and assigned readings. _____ _____ _____
3. Like to write things down or to take
notes for visual review. _____ _____ _____
4. Prefer to use posters, models, or actual
practice and some activities in class. _____ _____ _____
5. Require explanations of diagrams, graphs,
or visual directions. _____ _____ _____
6. Enjoy working with my hands or
making things. _____ _____ _____
7. Am skillful with and enjoy developing
and making graphs and charts _____ _____ _____
8. Can tell if sounds match when presented
with pairs of sounds. _____ _____ _____
9. Remember best by writing things down
several times. _____ _____ _____
10. Can understand and follow directions
on maps. _____ _____ _____
11. Do better at academic subjects by
listening to lectures and tapes. _____ _____ _____
12. Play with coins or keys in pockets. _____ _____ _____
13. Learn to spell better by repeating
the words out loud than by writing the
word on papers. _____ _____ _____
14. Can better understand a news article
by reading about it in the paper than by
listening to the radio. _____ _____ _____
15. Chew gum, smoke, or snack during
studies. _____ _____ _____
16. Feel the best way to remember is to
picture it in your head. _____ _____ _____
17. Learn spelling by "finger spelling"
words. _____ _____ _____
18. Would rather listen to a good lecture
or speech than read about the same material
in a textbook. _____ _____ _____
19. Am good at working and solving jigsaw
puzzles and mazes. _____ _____ _____
20. Grip objects in hands during learning
period. _____ _____ _____
21. Prefer listening to the news on the
radio rather than reading about it in the
newspaper. _____ _____ _____
22. Obtain information on an interesting
subject by reading relevant materials. _____ _____ _____
23. Feel very comfortable touching others,
hugging, handshaking, etc _____ _____ _____
24. Follow oral directions better than
written ones. _____ _____ _____
SCORING: Use the answered questions and place a point value (OFTEN = 5 points; SOMETIMES = 3 points; SELDOM = 1 point) next to the corresponding question number. Total the points in each column to obtain the preference scores under each heading.
Learning Style Scoring Grid
Ques.
#
Visual
Pts.
Ques.
#
Auditory
Pts.
Ques.
#
Tactile
Pts.
2 ____ 1 ____ 4 ____
3 ____ 5 ____ 6 ____
7 ____ 8 ____ 9 ____
10 ____ 11 ____ 12 ____
14 ____ 13 ____ 15 ____
16 ____ 18 ____ 17 ____
19 ____ 21 ____ 20 ____
22 ____ 24 ____ 23 ____
TOTALS:
Visual Auditory Tactile
Interpreting Responses:
Your learning style will include components of all three types. The maximum score per column is 40, the minimum 8 and the median 24. If your score is above 24, you have a preference for this style. In general, the higher the score, the stronger the preference for a given category. Conversely the lower the score, the less you rely on this style.
Your strongest learning style is the style that most suits you (see below). It does not mean that other styles are not useful. You'll notice similarities and some repetition in the suggestions below. Suggestions for other learning styles should not be excluded from your learning strategy, but your strongest preference should be emphasized. The suggestions below are not complete. Imaginative additions will be rewarded in the grading of the assignment.
VISUAL learner: look at all study materials. Use text, handouts, outlines, videos, notes, CD-ROMs, images, models, animations, etc. Practice visualizing concepts in your mind. Illustrate concepts. Develop simple storyboards for dynamic processes. Write out or keyboard important information, organize it, access it frequently and review it by asking yourself "what if" type questions.
AUDITORY learner: develop and use every opportunity for listening to information related to the course. Tape lectures. Participate in group exercises. Join a study group. Articulate concepts to others and then discussing them.
TACTILE learner: write or keyboard information while you are thinking of it, organize it, access it frequently, revise it and review it. Take, organize and keep detailed lecture notes. Edit the notes. Add your comments with references to other sources. Make and frequently update study aids: flashcards, study sheets, etc. Illustrate concepts on paper. Develop simple storyboards for dynamic processes. Use models: real and computer generated.
Study Time Chart
Due September 11
Effective time management is a key to academic success. Therefore, setting appropriate expectations regarding the time devoted to class assignments is essential. The following assignment is designed to assist you in managing your time in accordance with the expectations of your instructors.
Lyon faculty normally assume that you will spend between 2 – 3 hours studying per week for each credit hour in which you are enrolled. For example, a student enrolled in 12 credit hours per term is expected to devote between 24 and 36 hours per week on class assignments. Yes, your academic work is nearly comparable to a full-time job.
Additional example: If a student is enrolled in MTH 110 (Elementary Functions, a 4-credit hour course), then the number of study hours per week is calculated as follows.
Minimum number of study hours per week = 2 × 4 = 8 study hours per week
Maximum number of study hours per week = 3 × 4 = 12 study hours per week
Note: Some subjects may require even more study time than the maximum indicated above depending on content and individual student capability.
Assignment: Your assignment is to calculate the minimum and maximum number of study hours per week for each of fall classes and write the results in the spaces below.
Subject/Course Minimum number of study hours Maximum number of study hours
Using Word®, build two weekly study schedules for yourself, one with the minimum number of study hours for each subject and one with the maximum number of study hours for each subject. Be sure to incorporate into your schedule, meal times, sleep times (7-8 hours per day), and recreational times. Submit these schedules to your instructor.
Place a copy of these schedules in your Academic/Scholastic Planner. Refer to these schedules often because it is very easy to get behind but it is very difficult to catch up.
Plagiarism Guidelines
Plagiarism/Academic Ethics
The following is from the opening of Chapter 5 of Barbara W. Tuchman’s award-winning book The Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century (Ballantine: New Your, 1978). Read it carefully. Below the Tuchman passage are five separate paragraphs. Your job is to judge whether or not each of these five paragraphs uses the Tuchman passage fairly and documents adequately. The documentation style in the paragraphs is the Modern Language Association (MLA) style that you will use in your English 102 class.
Passage from The Distant Mirror:
"In October 1347, two months after the fall of Calais, Genoese trading ships put into the harbor of Messina in Sicily with dead and dying men at the oars. The ships had come from the Black Sea port of Caffa (now Feodosiya) in the Crimea, where the Genoese maintained a trading post. The diseased sailors showed strange black swellings about the size of an egg or an apple in the armpits and groin. The swellings ooze blood and pus and were followed by spreading boils and black blotches on the skin from internal bleeding. The sick suffered severe pain and died quickly within five days of the first symptoms. As the disease spread, other symptoms of continuous fever and spitting of blood appeared instead of the swelling or buboes. These victims coughed and sweated heavily and died even more quickly, within three days or less, sometimes in 24 hours. In both types everything that issued from the body—breath, sweat, blood from the buboes and lungs, bloody urine, and blood-blackened excrement—smelled foul. Depression and despair accompanied the physical symptoms…
The disease was bubonic plague, present in two forms: one that infected the bloodstream, causing the buboes and internal bleeding, and was spread by contact; and a second, more virulent pneumonic type that infected the lungs and was spread by respiratory infection. The presence of both at once caused the high mortality and speed of contagion. So lethal was the disease that cases were known of persons going to bed well and dying before they woke, of doctors catching the illness at the bedside and dying before the patient. …The malignity of the pestilence appeared more terrible because its victims knew no prevention and no remedy."
PARAGRAPH 1
The deadly bubonic plague that struck Europe in 1347 actually was two distinct clinical types. The first type was the less sever. It caused swelling of the lymph nodes called buboes. The swelling most frequently occurred in the groin area and sometimes burst and oozed. This first type also infected the blood and caused internal hemorrhaging. It spread only by actual physical contact. The second more rampant type infected the lungs and was rapidly and easily spread through the air like any respiratory infection.
PARAGRAPH 2
In 1347 when the bubonic plague broke out in Europe, there were two strands of the disease: "one that infected the bloodstream, causing the buboes and internal bleeding, and was spread by contact; and a second, more virulent pneumonic type that infected the lungs and was spread by respiratory infection" (Tuchman 92). Because of the presence of both strands, the mortality rate was high and the speed of contagion was quick. The disease was so lethal that cases were known of persons going to bed well and dying before they work.
PARAGRAPH 3
During the onset of the AIDS virus in the early 1980’s, newspaper editorialist and TV commentators occasionally drew an analogy between AIDS and the bubonic plague that devastated Europe in the 14th century. As horrible and numerous as the deaths have been from AIDS, the circumstances have proved to be quite different. One major difference is clear from Tuchman’s discussion of the plague. The victims of the plague ‘knew no prevention and no remedy" (93) for their killing disease, a disease that we know they could contract merely by breathing infected air (92). Since we have known for years now that AIDS virus is communicated only through intimate contact or shared hypodermic needles, we, unlike the 14th century, do know how to prevent the spread of our disease, even if we, too, have "no remedy". Unlike the plague when "cases were known of persons going to bed well and dying before they work," (93) the AIDS virus can lie dormant for years before bringing down its victims. Finally, the bubonic plague was hardest on the very old and very young, while AIDS continues to inflict its devastation on many victims in their prime.
PARAGRAPH 4
In 1347 Genoese trading ships returning from the Black sea port of Caffa (now Feodosiya) put into the harbor of Messina in Sicily with dead and dying men at the oars. These men were infected with bubonic plague. They showed strange black swellings about the size of an egg or apple in the armpits and groin. These swellings oozed blood and pus and were followed by spreading boils and black blotches on the skin from internal bleeding. These men died within five days of their first symptoms. But when the disease spread, subsequent victims coughed and sweated heavily and died within three days. What both types had in common was the foul smell of everything that issued from victims’ bodies and the depression and despair that accompanied their physical symptoms.
PARAGRAPH 5
Sailors who brought the bubonic plague back to Europe with them from the Crimea in 1347 (Tuchman 92) "showed strange black swellings about the size of an egg or an apple in the armpits and groin" (Tuchman 92). These "swellings oozed blood and pus and were followed by spreading boils and black blotches on the skin from internal bleeding" (Tuchman 92). These sailors with visible signs of the disease "suffered severe pain and died quickly within five days of the first symptoms" (Tuchman 92).
Plagiarism/Academic Ethics
Assessment of the Paragraphs
PHARAGRAPH 1
The writer of the first paragraph has carefully read the Tuchman passage and clearly used a dictionary to help her understand fully the medical terms that the original passage uses. She then has carefully constructed her own paragraph in her own words. She is, nonetheless, guilty of plagiarism for she is clearly indebted to Tuchman for her understanding of the two strands of the disease and must give credit to that source.
According to Barbara Tuchman, the deadly bubonic plague that stuck Europe in 1347 actually was two distinct clinical types. The first type was the less severe. It caused swelling of the lymph nodes called buboes. These swelling most frequently occurred in the groin area and sometimes burst and oozed. This first type also infected the blood and caused internal hemorrhaging. It spread only by actual physical contact. The second more rampant type infected the lungs and was rapidly and easily spread through the air like any respiratory infection (92).
PHARAGRAPH 2
Although the student in the second paragraph begins by accurately and fairly citing Tuchman, he continues after his citation to use the source, sometimes even verbatim, without giving credit. Below is an acceptable revision of paragraph 2:
In 1347 when the bubonic plague broke out in Europe, there were, according to Tuchman, two strands of the disease: "one that infected the bloodstream, causing the buboes and internal bleeding, and was spread by contact; and a second, more virulent pneumonic type, that infected the lung and was spread by respiratory infection" (92). The effects of this dual strand, Tuchman concludes, where such high mortality and contagion rates that "cases were known of persons going to bed well and dying before they woke" (92).
PHARAGRAPH 4
The fourth paragraph is blatantly plagiarized. Its writer has assumed the content, movement, and even much of the wording of the source without giving any credit.
PHARAGRAPH 5
Although the fifth paragraph does not constitute plagiarism, it does not evidence serious and acceptable thought on the part of its author. His careful cut and past job, and frequent documenting of ideas from Tuchman only draw attention to the fact that he has not a single idea of his own. He is not seriously engaging his subject; he is merely regurgitating what he has read and cautiously documenting every point. He will not get into trouble for plagiarism. But neither will his vacuous paper be acceptable.
Calculation of Grade Point Average (GPA)
October 9 in Class Exercise
Final course grades at Lyon College are based on a 4.0 system. In other words, so called "+/–" grades are not given as final grades. Midterm grades, on the other hand, are often reported using the "+/-" system. Please bear this in mind when calculating GPA. The following table provides the number values for letter grades.
Equivalents of Letter Grades
Letter grade Value
A (excellent) 4.00
B (good) 3.00
C (average) 2.00
D (passing*) 1.00
F (failing) 0.00
* A grade of "D" does not meet proficiency requirements.
In order to calculate your GPA, you must first calculate the quality points for each of your courses. The number of quality points for a course is a product of the grade equivalent of your course letter grade and the number of credits for the course.
Quality points = (credits) × (letter grade equivalent)
Use the following table to calculate the quality points for your courses. Write the sum of the quality points in the space provided below the table.
Quality point calculation table
Class Grade Credits attempted or earned Quality points
TOTALS
Your GPA is the quotient of the total quality points and the total credits. Use the equation below to complete the calculation:
Plan to meet with your advisor if you have any midterm or final grades below "C."
Mid-Term Grades: Where do I go from here?
October 23 Class Discussion
You may be surprised by one or more "C" grades on your midterm report. Although you should be concerned about the performance-based reasons behind any "C" grades, you should not be discouraged. A grade of "C" at Lyon College represents average, or fair work. Do not worry, it does little good. Vance Havner said, "Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but you get nowhere in the process." Use your concern to prompt a proactive response to any course grades that are lower than you desire. Consider the following components of a proactive response:
Desire – This is the first and foremost component of a proactive response to a marginal grade. Do you truly have the desire to perform better in the future than you have in the past? The only person who can change your desire for something is you. Neither your instructors nor your advisor can change your desire to do well in a course. If you are to change your desire to do well in a course, you must do it yourself.
Capability – Have your instructor help you assess your capability to make a change. This component of a proactive response may require that you increase your level of studying for a particular course. Throwing more time toward a class you are struggling in is not always the right answer. Maybe you will have to spend more time studying, but the larger issue is that most students in this position need to increase the quality of their study time. Your instructor or advisor can help you with this. Also, there are many academic resources available at Lyon College to assist you with this component (i.e. math and chemistry tutorial labs, language labs, and writing labs).
Power – Like desire, power comes from within. You must choose to exercise your brain (the "little grey cells" as Hercule Poirot says). Only through exercise can a muscle be strengthened and prepared for an athletic event. This is why coaches force their athletes to spend countless hours in the weight room. The same is true for the brain. Mental exercise builds connections in the brain.
Empowerment – Do you feel empowered to change your grade? The professors at Lyon College provide you the freedom to learn as much as you choose to learn. This must be a reality to you in order to feel empowered to change your grade in a course. Freedom is anything but free. Those with the greatest freedom have the greatest responsibility. Are you willing to accept the responsibility that comes with the freedom you have at Lyon College? If you are willing, then you will feel empowered to make a change in your grade.
Spring Registration: Why do I have to take that class?
October 30 and November 6 Discussion
By this point in your college career, you have doubtless learned that Lyon College professors bear little resemblance to the types of teachers you had in high school. It is also most likely true that you have learned through either current experience or the student "grapevine" that there are some classes that seemingly have no bearing on your dreams for life after Lyon. Maybe you are thinking, "Since I want to be a medical doctor, why do I have to take Introduction to Western Literature?" However, maybe you are thinking, "I want to be an artist, why must I take Chemistry In Context?" The answer is simple and clear, but it is possible that you do not recognize the answer because it is so basic. The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind…Oh! Wait a minute, wrong decade. Seriously, the answer is the professors at Lyon College have high academic standards. With these standards come certain educational goals that they want you to reach for reasons that you may not have ever considered before.
It is not unreasonable for new students to ask this question because they are undergoing a multiplicity of changes during their first year in college. However, a student who never learns to trust their professor’s wisdom in the matter of academic goals for a specific course will likewise never discover an answer to the question.
Students who learn to trust their professors’ collective wisdom concerning curricular matters are the students who discover that they are free to learn broadly and deeply. Yes, it is important to deeply understand a major subject. However, life is usually not lived out within the confines of a chemical laboratory or an artist’s canvas.
One particular benefit of a liberal (broad) education is that students learn to function in a wide variety of circumstances. Students find themselves forced to think analytically and critically because some topics discussed and studied at the college level may conflict with a student’s deeply held beliefs. The point of a broad education is not to get a person to change their thinking on a matter or their long held convictions and beliefs. The point is to expose the student to situations that force him or her to think critically, deal with unstructured problems, and communicate effectively with people who may hold diametrically opposed beliefs. In fact, these are some key attributes that employers desire their best job candidates to possess. A person may have a Ph.D. in chemistry but if he cannot communicate well with others regardless of the beliefs they hold and work well in an unstructured environment, then the corporate sector will most likely not find him to be an attractive candidate. The same is true for any profession, especially the profession of teaching.
With all this said, you must be free to learn about a variety of topics and subjects. Do not allow your singular focus on a particular major to destroy your academic experience at Lyon College. Hold on to your beliefs, but learn how others with opposite views think. Use your deep moral and ethical convictions to unravel relevant social and political issues facing mankind today. If you do these things, then you will not care one whit about seeking the answer to the question, "Why do I have to take that class?" Indeed, you may discover that the "answer is blowin’ in the wind."
List of Academic Support Services
It is critical that you, the student, actively engage the academic support services offered by Lyon College. Early use of these resources to assist with academic difficulties can have a measurably positive impact on the final outcome of a course. Students are strongly encouraged to seek out these services.
Academic Advising
Your Core 100 mentors.
Dr. David Pace, Senior Faculty Mentor for Core 100
Associate Professor Gary Harris, Spragins House Resident Faculty Mentor
Academic Learning Centers
Chemistry Tutoring Lab is located in Derby 249. Hours of operations are posted on the door. You may also find hours of operation at http://www.lyon.edu/academics/chemlab.asp. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this service, please contact Dr. Kurt Grafton (Derby 244, 698-4315).
Math Tutoring Lab is located in Derby 201 & 203. Hours of operations are posted on the door. You may also find hours of operation at http://www.lyon.edu/academics/mathlab.asp. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this service, please contact Dr. Nathan Ponder (Derby 200, 698-4302).
Writing Center is located on the second floor of the Alphin building in Room 206. Hours of operation are posted on the door. You may also find hours of operation at http://www.lyon.edu/academics/writinglab.asp. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this service, please contact Dr. Terrell Tebbetts (Alphin 201, 698-4342).
Spanish Tutoring Lab is located in Alphin 102. Hours of operation may be found by clicking on the "Spanish" link at http://www.lyon.edu/academics/academicSupport.asp. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this service, please contact Dr. Monica Rodriguez (Alphin 210, 698-4348).
French and Japanese Tutoring Labs: Location of the labs and hours of operations may be found by clocking on the "French and Japanese" link at http://www.lyon.edu/academics/academicSupport.asp. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this service, please contact Dr. Catherine Bordeau (Alphin 217, 698-4302).
Counseling and Health Service
Diane Ellis, College Counseling Services, Morrow Building, 698-4319
Nancy McSpadden, College Chaplain, Brown Chapel, 698-4281
Luann Baker, College Nurse, Morrow Building, 698-4335
List of Faculty/Staff Mentors for 2007 - 2008
Faculty Mentors
Name Work Phone Email Office
Baker, Gary 698-4691 gbaker@lyon.edu Derby 107
Beck, Martha 793-1774 mbeck@lyon.edu Lyon 320
Beckford, Floyd 698-4212 fbeckford@lyon.edu Derby 240
Blevins, Brooks 698-4210 bblevins@lyon.edu Lyon 327
Bordeau, Catherine 793-1773 cbordeau@lyon.edu Alphin 217
Castleberry, Annette 698-4311 acastleberry@lyon.edu Lower Library
Ellis, Diane 698-4319 delis@lyon.edu Morrow Bldg.
Grafton, Kurt 698-4315 akgrafton@lyon.edu Derby 244
Hutton, Stewart 698-4625 shutton@lyon.edu Derby 248
Ponder, Nathan 698-4302 nponder@lyon.edu Derby 200
Plaag, Joel 698-4259 jplaag@lyon.edu Brown 12
Wood, David 698-4236 dwood@lyon.edu Alphin 220
Wray, Virginia 698-4347 vwray@lyon.edu Alphin 212
Yonts, Nikki 698-4285 nyonts@lyon.edu Derby 105
Harris, Gary 698-4352 gharris@lyon.edu Holloway 9
Pace, David 698-4218 dpace@lyon.edu Derby 242
Student Mentors
Name Email
Baldridge, Aaron ab5833@lyon.edu
Bogy, Crystal cb2545@lyon.edu
Brents, Jessica jb6905@lyon.edu
Engler, Chad ce3671@lyon.edu
Garver, Jonathan jg0994@lyon.edu
Lupo, Jordan jl4610@lyon.edu
Neal, Sam sn0930@lyon.edu
Paysinger, J.R. jp2404@lyon.edu
Penman, Adam ap2442@lyon.edu
Pyle, Nathaniel np3543@lyon.edu
Raymond, Mary mr0955@lyon.edu
Rorex, Gretchen gr3043@lyon.edu
Sperry, Jacob js0785@lyon.edu
Summers, Mikael ms3972@lyon.edu
Turner, Rachel rt9523@lyon.edu
Walker, Gavin gw1823@lyon.edu
Wilson, Chelsea cw9855@lyon.edu
Woffard, Danielle dw3865@lyon.edu
FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE
COR 100 – Fall 2007
Instructor: ____________________________
Office No. ______________ Email: _______________
Office Hours: _______________ Office Phone: _______________
Important L.I.T. orientation: ________________________
Dates:
Library tour: ________________________
Mid-term advising: ________________________
SP 2007 advising: ________________________
Course Meetings: Tuesday 11:00 – 11:50 a.m. Location: _______________
Course Objectives:
The course is designed to assist new students in dealing with the inevitable changes and rapid growth they will experience in their transition to college, and to help them develop the personal and academic skills necessary for success in college. (Lyon College Catalog 2007-2008, p. 10)
Through a synergistic relationship with Spragins House, COR 100 seeks to provide a clear and relevant framework on which students may begin their transition to the academic and social challenges of a liberal arts college.
Learning Outcomes:
COR 100 seeks to reinforce the need for students to continue to develop their spirits, minds, and bodies through the introduction of skills that reinforce personal responsibility, accountability, service, and integrity within the multiplicity of social and academic settings at the college level and beyond. Additionally, COR 100 seeks to develop an interest within students to explore cultural activities that may lie outside the area of their primary interest.
Texts:
Linda O’Brien, How to get Good Grades in College, 3rd ed. Woodburn Press, 2000.
Andrea H. Budy, The Hickeys on Sally Palermo’s Neck, Words from the Woods, 2000.
Course Assignments:
Service Day: Service is a prominent component of the Lyon College mission. Therefore, ALL students enrolled in COR 100 must participate in Service Day 2007 on specific service projects assigned to each mentor group. Freshman athletes who will be absent due to an away game must:
a) Arrange for an independent service project (time, location, and activity) through Campus Ministries.
b) Inform their faculty/staff advisor of the arrangements BEFORE Wednesday, September 26, 2007.
Any student who fails to comply with the Service Day component will receive a final grade reduction of two letter grade.
Information Technology: All students registered in COR 100 must attend an orientation to the Information Technology resources of Lyon College. Appropriate IT staff will conduct this orientation. In addition to the orientation session, students must complete the following
Exercises:
a) Schedule and attend a tour of the Mabee-Simpson Library during the month of September.
b) Complete a series of online information resources skill building exercises (self-paced – see page 9 of the syllabus).
Cultural Events: In keeping with the liberal arts mission of the college, all first-time students, as part of COR 100, must attend and report on six Lyon College sponsored cultural events. Of course, students may attend as many cultural events as they desire over and above the six required events. Typically, these events take place outside the standard academic day. Therefore, students must manage their resources and take the responsibility to at attend the cultural events. Event reports must be submitted via FirstClass® within 48 hours of the event and include the following information:
Day and time of the event.
A cogent analysis of the event.
What was the underlying theme of the event?
Did the actor, artist, speaker, etc. accomplish his or her goal(s) for the
event?
How did the event impact you?
Was the event worthwhile? Why or why not?
Of the six required cultural events, four must come from DIFFERENT areas as outlined below. The remaining two events may come from any of the nine areas. Students must select from the following areas:
An offering by the Convocations Committee.
An opening of an exhibition at Kresge Gallery.
A presentation by the Visiting Writer Series.
A play or other performance presented in the Holloway Theatre.
A foreign film NOT REQUIRED by a class in which the student is registered.
A concert by the College Chorale, band, flute choir, or orchestra.
A video offered through Spragins House.
A Lyon College sporting event. Student athletes must choose sporting events OTHER than the sports in which they play.
A service activity sponsored by a Lyon College organization in addition to Service Day.
Except for item 9 above, Students may not receive credit for any event in which they are Direct participants.
Written Assignments: The written assignments for this course are described below. Unless otherwise stated, assignments must be typed in MSWord® and submitted to the instructor by the due date. Late assignments will be accepted ONLY according to the Attendance and Make-Up Policy section below. Assignments must be produced using correct grammar and appropriate punctuation. Quote conservatively, but reference liberally. Your instructor will give you specific instructions regarding form.
Short Essays: Two 500 word papers dealing with the common reading by Andrea Budy given to you at the summer orientation session.
1) Paper #1 is due at the first class meeting. Students attending the August orientation must submit this assignment by August 24, 2007.
2) Paper #2 is due on October 30, 2007.
IT Assignment: Described on page 4 of this syllabus.
Assignment Notebook: If used properly, this "academic planner" will help the student organize their whole semester and begin to understand concepts in time management.
Reading Quizzes: Reading quizzes are 10 minute quizzes given at the beginning of class that cover the assigned reading material as shown on page 5.
Weekly assignments: There are three class assignments as shown on page 6 of this syllabus.
Cultural Events: Described on page 2 of this syllabus.
The above assignments are designed to further the develop the learning outcomes of the intended learning outcomes of the course.
Late Assignments:
No late assignments will be accepted except under extraordinary circumstances such
as a severe illness (medical documentation required) or family emergency. Such
events are RARE in the life of the average student, but they do happen. Students must
contact their faculty mentor as soon as a conflict arises with class attendance or
assignment due date.
Athletes participating in away games and other students participating in various college
-sponsored events will be permitted to make up any missed assignments in accordance with Lyon College policy. Any student that will be participating in school-sponsored activities must submit a schedule of those activities to the instructor within the first week of class.
Participation:
Students are expected to actively participate in class discussion. Consequently, they are
expected to come to class prepared (completed reading and other assignments before class).
Attendance:
Attendance at the regular meetings of the course is required. Students missing class due
to a severe illness, personal emergency, or a college-sponsored event must confer with
their instructor before and after absences (a personal visit to the instructor’s office is preferable over email). Students are required to attend every class. A student who comes in late to class three times will receive a 25 % reduction in their attendance points. Students who come late to class more than three times will receive a one letter grade reduction in their final course grade.
A student who incurs one unexcused absence will be referred to the Dean of the Faculty as having missed the equivalent of one week of classes. Students who incur a total of three unexcused absences will be recommended to the Dean of the Faculty for dismissal from the course.
Grading Scales:
Written assignments (50pts each) 100pts Grading A 90% and above
Attendance/Participation (14pts/mtg) 98pts Scale: B 80 – 89%
LIT Component 100pts C 70 – 79%
Assignment Notebook 50pts D 60 – 69%
3 Reading quizzes (25pts each) 75pts F 59% and below
3 Other weekly assignments 45pts
6 Cultural events (20 pts each) 120pts
Total: 588pts NOTE: Final grades will be rounded to the nearest percent.
Examine the tentative schedule on page 5 of this syllabus. Only two assignments are due after midterms!
Honor Code:
Academic integrity is a fundamental principle of a teaching and learning community.
Consequently, all graded work in this class must be conducted and pledged in accordance with the Lyon College Honor System. Students must provide correct citations for any material that is not their own in accordance with appropriate citation standards. Additionally, a student’s false claim of having attended a cultural event will be considered a violation of the Honor Code. Students are encouraged to speak with their mentors specifically, and instructors generally, concerning any questions about the Honor System and related expectations.
Learning Disabilities:
Students seeking reasonable accommodations should contact the Office of Academic Services at 698-4332.
Tentative Schedule for COR 100
Tuesday (11AM) Location* Topic Assigned Reading Assignments Due (at beginning of class) Lunch at Spragins (12PM) LIT Component
Chapter (exams must be taken by 11 AM on day of COR 100 meeting)
21-Aug Classroom Introduction & Assignment Notebook Andrea Budy Paper #1 (50pts) ? Group 1 (Baker)
28-Aug Brown Auditorium President's Convocation O'Brien, pp. 1 – 4 and page 6 of syllabus Submit Assignment Notebook to advisor (50 pts) on Aug 27** Group 2 (Bordeau) Intro to Citrix
4-Sep Classroom Managing your time & taking advantage of your learning style O'Brien, pp. 5 - 10 & pp.7-9 of syllabus Reading Quiz #1 (25pts) & submit Learning Styles Results (15pts) Group 3 (Castleberry) Intro to FirstClass
11-Sep Nucor Alcohol Policy & classroom etiquette O'Brien, pp. 5 – 19 and page 10 of syllabus Submit "study time" charts to advisor (10pts) Group 4 (Ellis) Home Page & Library
18-Sep Classroom 4th Week check-up O’Brien pp. 11 - 25 Reading Quiz #2 (25pts) Group 5 (Ponder) Basic Research Techniques
25-Sep Nucor Service Day Databases
2-Oct Groups 1-6 Nucor
Groups 7-12 Alphin
Honor Code Dr. Wray's Guidelines for Plagiarism (pp. 11 – 13 of syllabus) Group 6
(Wray)
The Internet
9-Oct Classroom (bring calculator) Calculating GPA & course grade p. 14 of syllabus Reading Quiz #3 (25 pts) Group 7
(Beck)
Plagiarism
16-Oct Classroom Liberal arts and the creative life Reread Andrea Budy essay Group 8 (Blevins) Review & Final Exam
23-Oct Classroom Midterms: Where do I go from here? p. 15 of syllabus Submit remediation plan for all deficient grades Group 9
(Hutton)
30-Oct Groups 1-6 Nucor Meet the author Group 10 (Grafton)
Groups 7-12 Classroom "Why do I have to take that class?" A discussion of the liberal arts p. 16 of syllabus Andrea Budy Paper #2 (500 word paper on how Budy has affected you) (50pts)
6-Nov Groups 7-12 Nucor Meet the author Group 11 (Wood)
Groups 1-6 Classroom "Why do I have to take that class?" A discussion of the liberal arts pp. 16 of syllabus Andrea Budy Paper #2 (500 word paper on how Budy has affected you) (50pts)
13-Nov Nucor Thanksgiving Convocation Group 12
(Yonts)
20-Nov Classroom Student survey O'Brien p. 29 Submit a piece of advice that you would give next year's entering class (20pts) Group 13
(Beckford)
27-Nov No class -- -- -- Group 14
(Plaag)
4-Dec No class -- -- -- Group 15
(______)
* Classroom = For the student’s specific classroom, please see the top of page 1 of this syllabus: Nucor = large lecture hall on ground floor of the Lyon Building: Alphin = Alphin Room in the Alphin Building.
** Note that students must submit their Assignment Notebooks to their faculty/staff advisors by NOON on Monday, August 27, 2007. Faculty mentors will return the notebooks to the students at the President’s Convocation on the following day. Students attending the August orientation may submit this assignment by August 24, 2007.
Assignment Notebook
Due: Students must submit their Assignment Notebooks to their faculty/staff advisors by NOON on Monday, August 27, 2007.
Mentors will return the notebooks to their students at the President’s Convocation on the following day, August 28.
Instructions:
Read O’Brien, pp. 1 – 4
Fill out the Academic/Scholastic Planner 2007/2008:
On page 2, write your class schedule in the blank table provided.
Collect all the syllabi for your courses. Begin with any one syllabus and write all assignments, papers, exams, and/or performances in the appropriate day blocks of the calendar. Do this for all your syllabi. NOTE: It is a good idea to color code your subjects so that you can easily determine what assignment is due for any given course.
Estimate the time in days it will take you to adequately prepare/accomplish the work described in part (b). For instance, if you have an English paper due on September 20th dealing with an assigned essay, then do the following:
Estimate the time required to read and comprehend the essay: _____days
Estimate the time required to develop an appropriate outline: _____days
Estimate the time required to develop a first draft: _____days
Estimate the time required to compose the final draft: _____days
Add two extra days for computer problems: __2__days
Add lines (i) – (v) for total days to complete paper: _____days
Count back the number of days in your calendar you determined in part (c) required to prepare the paper and mark the appropriate date as the "Start date" for the paper.
Repeat this process for each and every assignment contained in your syllabi.
Learn Styles Inventory
Due September 4
Objective of the exercise: to help you discover how you can help yourself learn more effectively by understanding your individual learning style.
Source: http://ep.llnl.gov/msds/orgchem/Chem226/learning.html (Sept 2005)
Survey: Place a check on the appropriate line after each statement.
Often Sometimes Seldom
1. Can remember more about a subject
through the lecture method with
information, explanations and discussion. _____ _____ _____
2. Prefer information to be written on the
chalkboard, with the use of visual
aids and assigned readings. _____ _____ _____
3. Like to write things down or to take
notes for visual review. _____ _____ _____
4. Prefer to use posters, models, or actual
practice and some activities in class. _____ _____ _____
5. Require explanations of diagrams, graphs,
or visual directions. _____ _____ _____
6. Enjoy working with my hands or
making things. _____ _____ _____
7. Am skillful with and enjoy developing
and making graphs and charts _____ _____ _____
8. Can tell if sounds match when presented
with pairs of sounds. _____ _____ _____
9. Remember best by writing things down
several times. _____ _____ _____
10. Can understand and follow directions
on maps. _____ _____ _____
11. Do better at academic subjects by
listening to lectures and tapes. _____ _____ _____
12. Play with coins or keys in pockets. _____ _____ _____
13. Learn to spell better by repeating
the words out loud than by writing the
word on papers. _____ _____ _____
14. Can better understand a news article
by reading about it in the paper than by
listening to the radio. _____ _____ _____
15. Chew gum, smoke, or snack during
studies. _____ _____ _____
16. Feel the best way to remember is to
picture it in your head. _____ _____ _____
17. Learn spelling by "finger spelling"
words. _____ _____ _____
18. Would rather listen to a good lecture
or speech than read about the same material
in a textbook. _____ _____ _____
19. Am good at working and solving jigsaw
puzzles and mazes. _____ _____ _____
20. Grip objects in hands during learning
period. _____ _____ _____
21. Prefer listening to the news on the
radio rather than reading about it in the
newspaper. _____ _____ _____
22. Obtain information on an interesting
subject by reading relevant materials. _____ _____ _____
23. Feel very comfortable touching others,
hugging, handshaking, etc _____ _____ _____
24. Follow oral directions better than
written ones. _____ _____ _____
SCORING: Use the answered questions and place a point value (OFTEN = 5 points; SOMETIMES = 3 points; SELDOM = 1 point) next to the corresponding question number. Total the points in each column to obtain the preference scores under each heading.
Learning Style Scoring Grid
Ques.
#
Visual
Pts.
Ques.
#
Auditory
Pts.
Ques.
#
Tactile
Pts.
2 ____ 1 ____ 4 ____
3 ____ 5 ____ 6 ____
7 ____ 8 ____ 9 ____
10 ____ 11 ____ 12 ____
14 ____ 13 ____ 15 ____
16 ____ 18 ____ 17 ____
19 ____ 21 ____ 20 ____
22 ____ 24 ____ 23 ____
TOTALS:
Visual Auditory Tactile
Interpreting Responses:
Your learning style will include components of all three types. The maximum score per column is 40, the minimum 8 and the median 24. If your score is above 24, you have a preference for this style. In general, the higher the score, the stronger the preference for a given category. Conversely the lower the score, the less you rely on this style.
Your strongest learning style is the style that most suits you (see below). It does not mean that other styles are not useful. You'll notice similarities and some repetition in the suggestions below. Suggestions for other learning styles should not be excluded from your learning strategy, but your strongest preference should be emphasized. The suggestions below are not complete. Imaginative additions will be rewarded in the grading of the assignment.
VISUAL learner: look at all study materials. Use text, handouts, outlines, videos, notes, CD-ROMs, images, models, animations, etc. Practice visualizing concepts in your mind. Illustrate concepts. Develop simple storyboards for dynamic processes. Write out or keyboard important information, organize it, access it frequently and review it by asking yourself "what if" type questions.
AUDITORY learner: develop and use every opportunity for listening to information related to the course. Tape lectures. Participate in group exercises. Join a study group. Articulate concepts to others and then discussing them.
TACTILE learner: write or keyboard information while you are thinking of it, organize it, access it frequently, revise it and review it. Take, organize and keep detailed lecture notes. Edit the notes. Add your comments with references to other sources. Make and frequently update study aids: flashcards, study sheets, etc. Illustrate concepts on paper. Develop simple storyboards for dynamic processes. Use models: real and computer generated.
Study Time Chart
Due September 11
Effective time management is a key to academic success. Therefore, setting appropriate expectations regarding the time devoted to class assignments is essential. The following assignment is designed to assist you in managing your time in accordance with the expectations of your instructors.
Lyon faculty normally assume that you will spend between 2 – 3 hours studying per week for each credit hour in which you are enrolled. For example, a student enrolled in 12 credit hours per term is expected to devote between 24 and 36 hours per week on class assignments. Yes, your academic work is nearly comparable to a full-time job.
Additional example: If a student is enrolled in MTH 110 (Elementary Functions, a 4-credit hour course), then the number of study hours per week is calculated as follows.
Minimum number of study hours per week = 2 × 4 = 8 study hours per week
Maximum number of study hours per week = 3 × 4 = 12 study hours per week
Note: Some subjects may require even more study time than the maximum indicated above depending on content and individual student capability.
Assignment: Your assignment is to calculate the minimum and maximum number of study hours per week for each of fall classes and write the results in the spaces below.
Subject/Course Minimum number of study hours Maximum number of study hours
Using Word®, build two weekly study schedules for yourself, one with the minimum number of study hours for each subject and one with the maximum number of study hours for each subject. Be sure to incorporate into your schedule, meal times, sleep times (7-8 hours per day), and recreational times. Submit these schedules to your instructor.
Place a copy of these schedules in your Academic/Scholastic Planner. Refer to these schedules often because it is very easy to get behind but it is very difficult to catch up.
Plagiarism Guidelines
Plagiarism/Academic Ethics
The following is from the opening of Chapter 5 of Barbara W. Tuchman’s award-winning book The Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century (Ballantine: New Your, 1978). Read it carefully. Below the Tuchman passage are five separate paragraphs. Your job is to judge whether or not each of these five paragraphs uses the Tuchman passage fairly and documents adequately. The documentation style in the paragraphs is the Modern Language Association (MLA) style that you will use in your English 102 class.
Passage from The Distant Mirror:
"In October 1347, two months after the fall of Calais, Genoese trading ships put into the harbor of Messina in Sicily with dead and dying men at the oars. The ships had come from the Black Sea port of Caffa (now Feodosiya) in the Crimea, where the Genoese maintained a trading post. The diseased sailors showed strange black swellings about the size of an egg or an apple in the armpits and groin. The swellings ooze blood and pus and were followed by spreading boils and black blotches on the skin from internal bleeding. The sick suffered severe pain and died quickly within five days of the first symptoms. As the disease spread, other symptoms of continuous fever and spitting of blood appeared instead of the swelling or buboes. These victims coughed and sweated heavily and died even more quickly, within three days or less, sometimes in 24 hours. In both types everything that issued from the body—breath, sweat, blood from the buboes and lungs, bloody urine, and blood-blackened excrement—smelled foul. Depression and despair accompanied the physical symptoms…
The disease was bubonic plague, present in two forms: one that infected the bloodstream, causing the buboes and internal bleeding, and was spread by contact; and a second, more virulent pneumonic type that infected the lungs and was spread by respiratory infection. The presence of both at once caused the high mortality and speed of contagion. So lethal was the disease that cases were known of persons going to bed well and dying before they woke, of doctors catching the illness at the bedside and dying before the patient. …The malignity of the pestilence appeared more terrible because its victims knew no prevention and no remedy."
PARAGRAPH 1
The deadly bubonic plague that struck Europe in 1347 actually was two distinct clinical types. The first type was the less sever. It caused swelling of the lymph nodes called buboes. The swelling most frequently occurred in the groin area and sometimes burst and oozed. This first type also infected the blood and caused internal hemorrhaging. It spread only by actual physical contact. The second more rampant type infected the lungs and was rapidly and easily spread through the air like any respiratory infection.
PARAGRAPH 2
In 1347 when the bubonic plague broke out in Europe, there were two strands of the disease: "one that infected the bloodstream, causing the buboes and internal bleeding, and was spread by contact; and a second, more virulent pneumonic type that infected the lungs and was spread by respiratory infection" (Tuchman 92). Because of the presence of both strands, the mortality rate was high and the speed of contagion was quick. The disease was so lethal that cases were known of persons going to bed well and dying before they work.
PARAGRAPH 3
During the onset of the AIDS virus in the early 1980’s, newspaper editorialist and TV commentators occasionally drew an analogy between AIDS and the bubonic plague that devastated Europe in the 14th century. As horrible and numerous as the deaths have been from AIDS, the circumstances have proved to be quite different. One major difference is clear from Tuchman’s discussion of the plague. The victims of the plague ‘knew no prevention and no remedy" (93) for their killing disease, a disease that we know they could contract merely by breathing infected air (92). Since we have known for years now that AIDS virus is communicated only through intimate contact or shared hypodermic needles, we, unlike the 14th century, do know how to prevent the spread of our disease, even if we, too, have "no remedy". Unlike the plague when "cases were known of persons going to bed well and dying before they work," (93) the AIDS virus can lie dormant for years before bringing down its victims. Finally, the bubonic plague was hardest on the very old and very young, while AIDS continues to inflict its devastation on many victims in their prime.
PARAGRAPH 4
In 1347 Genoese trading ships returning from the Black sea port of Caffa (now Feodosiya) put into the harbor of Messina in Sicily with dead and dying men at the oars. These men were infected with bubonic plague. They showed strange black swellings about the size of an egg or apple in the armpits and groin. These swellings oozed blood and pus and were followed by spreading boils and black blotches on the skin from internal bleeding. These men died within five days of their first symptoms. But when the disease spread, subsequent victims coughed and sweated heavily and died within three days. What both types had in common was the foul smell of everything that issued from victims’ bodies and the depression and despair that accompanied their physical symptoms.
PARAGRAPH 5
Sailors who brought the bubonic plague back to Europe with them from the Crimea in 1347 (Tuchman 92) "showed strange black swellings about the size of an egg or an apple in the armpits and groin" (Tuchman 92). These "swellings oozed blood and pus and were followed by spreading boils and black blotches on the skin from internal bleeding" (Tuchman 92). These sailors with visible signs of the disease "suffered severe pain and died quickly within five days of the first symptoms" (Tuchman 92).
Plagiarism/Academic Ethics
Assessment of the Paragraphs
PHARAGRAPH 1
The writer of the first paragraph has carefully read the Tuchman passage and clearly used a dictionary to help her understand fully the medical terms that the original passage uses. She then has carefully constructed her own paragraph in her own words. She is, nonetheless, guilty of plagiarism for she is clearly indebted to Tuchman for her understanding of the two strands of the disease and must give credit to that source.
According to Barbara Tuchman, the deadly bubonic plague that stuck Europe in 1347 actually was two distinct clinical types. The first type was the less severe. It caused swelling of the lymph nodes called buboes. These swelling most frequently occurred in the groin area and sometimes burst and oozed. This first type also infected the blood and caused internal hemorrhaging. It spread only by actual physical contact. The second more rampant type infected the lungs and was rapidly and easily spread through the air like any respiratory infection (92).
PHARAGRAPH 2
Although the student in the second paragraph begins by accurately and fairly citing Tuchman, he continues after his citation to use the source, sometimes even verbatim, without giving credit. Below is an acceptable revision of paragraph 2:
In 1347 when the bubonic plague broke out in Europe, there were, according to Tuchman, two strands of the disease: "one that infected the bloodstream, causing the buboes and internal bleeding, and was spread by contact; and a second, more virulent pneumonic type, that infected the lung and was spread by respiratory infection" (92). The effects of this dual strand, Tuchman concludes, where such high mortality and contagion rates that "cases were known of persons going to bed well and dying before they woke" (92).
PHARAGRAPH 4
The fourth paragraph is blatantly plagiarized. Its writer has assumed the content, movement, and even much of the wording of the source without giving any credit.
PHARAGRAPH 5
Although the fifth paragraph does not constitute plagiarism, it does not evidence serious and acceptable thought on the part of its author. His careful cut and past job, and frequent documenting of ideas from Tuchman only draw attention to the fact that he has not a single idea of his own. He is not seriously engaging his subject; he is merely regurgitating what he has read and cautiously documenting every point. He will not get into trouble for plagiarism. But neither will his vacuous paper be acceptable.
Calculation of Grade Point Average (GPA)
October 9 in Class Exercise
Final course grades at Lyon College are based on a 4.0 system. In other words, so called "+/–" grades are not given as final grades. Midterm grades, on the other hand, are often reported using the "+/-" system. Please bear this in mind when calculating GPA. The following table provides the number values for letter grades.
Equivalents of Letter Grades
Letter grade Value
A (excellent) 4.00
B (good) 3.00
C (average) 2.00
D (passing*) 1.00
F (failing) 0.00
* A grade of "D" does not meet proficiency requirements.
In order to calculate your GPA, you must first calculate the quality points for each of your courses. The number of quality points for a course is a product of the grade equivalent of your course letter grade and the number of credits for the course.
Quality points = (credits) × (letter grade equivalent)
Use the following table to calculate the quality points for your courses. Write the sum of the quality points in the space provided below the table.
Quality point calculation table
Class Grade Credits attempted or earned Quality points
TOTALS
Your GPA is the quotient of the total quality points and the total credits. Use the equation below to complete the calculation:
Plan to meet with your advisor if you have any midterm or final grades below "C."
Mid-Term Grades: Where do I go from here?
October 23 Class Discussion
You may be surprised by one or more "C" grades on your midterm report. Although you should be concerned about the performance-based reasons behind any "C" grades, you should not be discouraged. A grade of "C" at Lyon College represents average, or fair work. Do not worry, it does little good. Vance Havner said, "Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but you get nowhere in the process." Use your concern to prompt a proactive response to any course grades that are lower than you desire. Consider the following components of a proactive response:
Desire – This is the first and foremost component of a proactive response to a marginal grade. Do you truly have the desire to perform better in the future than you have in the past? The only person who can change your desire for something is you. Neither your instructors nor your advisor can change your desire to do well in a course. If you are to change your desire to do well in a course, you must do it yourself.
Capability – Have your instructor help you assess your capability to make a change. This component of a proactive response may require that you increase your level of studying for a particular course. Throwing more time toward a class you are struggling in is not always the right answer. Maybe you will have to spend more time studying, but the larger issue is that most students in this position need to increase the quality of their study time. Your instructor or advisor can help you with this. Also, there are many academic resources available at Lyon College to assist you with this component (i.e. math and chemistry tutorial labs, language labs, and writing labs).
Power – Like desire, power comes from within. You must choose to exercise your brain (the "little grey cells" as Hercule Poirot says). Only through exercise can a muscle be strengthened and prepared for an athletic event. This is why coaches force their athletes to spend countless hours in the weight room. The same is true for the brain. Mental exercise builds connections in the brain.
Empowerment – Do you feel empowered to change your grade? The professors at Lyon College provide you the freedom to learn as much as you choose to learn. This must be a reality to you in order to feel empowered to change your grade in a course. Freedom is anything but free. Those with the greatest freedom have the greatest responsibility. Are you willing to accept the responsibility that comes with the freedom you have at Lyon College? If you are willing, then you will feel empowered to make a change in your grade.
Spring Registration: Why do I have to take that class?
October 30 and November 6 Discussion
By this point in your college career, you have doubtless learned that Lyon College professors bear little resemblance to the types of teachers you had in high school. It is also most likely true that you have learned through either current experience or the student "grapevine" that there are some classes that seemingly have no bearing on your dreams for life after Lyon. Maybe you are thinking, "Since I want to be a medical doctor, why do I have to take Introduction to Western Literature?" However, maybe you are thinking, "I want to be an artist, why must I take Chemistry In Context?" The answer is simple and clear, but it is possible that you do not recognize the answer because it is so basic. The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind…Oh! Wait a minute, wrong decade. Seriously, the answer is the professors at Lyon College have high academic standards. With these standards come certain educational goals that they want you to reach for reasons that you may not have ever considered before.
It is not unreasonable for new students to ask this question because they are undergoing a multiplicity of changes during their first year in college. However, a student who never learns to trust their professor’s wisdom in the matter of academic goals for a specific course will likewise never discover an answer to the question.
Students who learn to trust their professors’ collective wisdom concerning curricular matters are the students who discover that they are free to learn broadly and deeply. Yes, it is important to deeply understand a major subject. However, life is usually not lived out within the confines of a chemical laboratory or an artist’s canvas.
One particular benefit of a liberal (broad) education is that students learn to function in a wide variety of circumstances. Students find themselves forced to think analytically and critically because some topics discussed and studied at the college level may conflict with a student’s deeply held beliefs. The point of a broad education is not to get a person to change their thinking on a matter or their long held convictions and beliefs. The point is to expose the student to situations that force him or her to think critically, deal with unstructured problems, and communicate effectively with people who may hold diametrically opposed beliefs. In fact, these are some key attributes that employers desire their best job candidates to possess. A person may have a Ph.D. in chemistry but if he cannot communicate well with others regardless of the beliefs they hold and work well in an unstructured environment, then the corporate sector will most likely not find him to be an attractive candidate. The same is true for any profession, especially the profession of teaching.
With all this said, you must be free to learn about a variety of topics and subjects. Do not allow your singular focus on a particular major to destroy your academic experience at Lyon College. Hold on to your beliefs, but learn how others with opposite views think. Use your deep moral and ethical convictions to unravel relevant social and political issues facing mankind today. If you do these things, then you will not care one whit about seeking the answer to the question, "Why do I have to take that class?" Indeed, you may discover that the "answer is blowin’ in the wind."
List of Academic Support Services
It is critical that you, the student, actively engage the academic support services offered by Lyon College. Early use of these resources to assist with academic difficulties can have a measurably positive impact on the final outcome of a course. Students are strongly encouraged to seek out these services.
Academic Advising
Your Core 100 mentors.
Dr. David Pace, Senior Faculty Mentor for Core 100
Associate Professor Gary Harris, Spragins House Resident Faculty Mentor
Academic Learning Centers
Chemistry Tutoring Lab is located in Derby 249. Hours of operations are posted on the door. You may also find hours of operation at http://www.lyon.edu/academics/chemlab.asp. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this service, please contact Dr. Kurt Grafton (Derby 244, 698-4315).
Math Tutoring Lab is located in Derby 201 & 203. Hours of operations are posted on the door. You may also find hours of operation at http://www.lyon.edu/academics/mathlab.asp. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this service, please contact Dr. Nathan Ponder (Derby 200, 698-4302).
Writing Center is located on the second floor of the Alphin building in Room 206. Hours of operation are posted on the door. You may also find hours of operation at http://www.lyon.edu/academics/writinglab.asp. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this service, please contact Dr. Terrell Tebbetts (Alphin 201, 698-4342).
Spanish Tutoring Lab is located in Alphin 102. Hours of operation may be found by clicking on the "Spanish" link at http://www.lyon.edu/academics/academicSupport.asp. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this service, please contact Dr. Monica Rodriguez (Alphin 210, 698-4348).
French and Japanese Tutoring Labs: Location of the labs and hours of operations may be found by clocking on the "French and Japanese" link at http://www.lyon.edu/academics/academicSupport.asp. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this service, please contact Dr. Catherine Bordeau (Alphin 217, 698-4302).
Counseling and Health Service
Diane Ellis, College Counseling Services, Morrow Building, 698-4319
Nancy McSpadden, College Chaplain, Brown Chapel, 698-4281
Luann Baker, College Nurse, Morrow Building, 698-4335
List of Faculty/Staff Mentors for 2007 - 2008
Faculty Mentors
Name Work Phone Email Office
Baker, Gary 698-4691 gbaker@lyon.edu Derby 107
Beck, Martha 793-1774 mbeck@lyon.edu Lyon 320
Beckford, Floyd 698-4212 fbeckford@lyon.edu Derby 240
Blevins, Brooks 698-4210 bblevins@lyon.edu Lyon 327
Bordeau, Catherine 793-1773 cbordeau@lyon.edu Alphin 217
Castleberry, Annette 698-4311 acastleberry@lyon.edu Lower Library
Ellis, Diane 698-4319 delis@lyon.edu Morrow Bldg.
Grafton, Kurt 698-4315 akgrafton@lyon.edu Derby 244
Hutton, Stewart 698-4625 shutton@lyon.edu Derby 248
Ponder, Nathan 698-4302 nponder@lyon.edu Derby 200
Plaag, Joel 698-4259 jplaag@lyon.edu Brown 12
Wood, David 698-4236 dwood@lyon.edu Alphin 220
Wray, Virginia 698-4347 vwray@lyon.edu Alphin 212
Yonts, Nikki 698-4285 nyonts@lyon.edu Derby 105
Harris, Gary 698-4352 gharris@lyon.edu Holloway 9
Pace, David 698-4218 dpace@lyon.edu Derby 242
Student Mentors
Name Email
Baldridge, Aaron ab5833@lyon.edu
Bogy, Crystal cb2545@lyon.edu
Brents, Jessica jb6905@lyon.edu
Engler, Chad ce3671@lyon.edu
Garver, Jonathan jg0994@lyon.edu
Lupo, Jordan jl4610@lyon.edu
Neal, Sam sn0930@lyon.edu
Paysinger, J.R. jp2404@lyon.edu
Penman, Adam ap2442@lyon.edu
Pyle, Nathaniel np3543@lyon.edu
Raymond, Mary mr0955@lyon.edu
Rorex, Gretchen gr3043@lyon.edu
Sperry, Jacob js0785@lyon.edu
Summers, Mikael ms3972@lyon.edu
Turner, Rachel rt9523@lyon.edu
Walker, Gavin gw1823@lyon.edu
Wilson, Chelsea cw9855@lyon.edu
Woffard, Danielle dw3865@lyon.edu